Buckle



(No Model.)

J. 0. 86 A. M. HYDE. BUCKLE.

No. 454,170. Patented June 16, 1891.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES C. HYDE AND ALPI-IONSO M. HYDE, OF \VEST HAVEN, CONNECTICUT.

BUCKLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 454,170, dated June 16,1891.

Application filed February 3, 1891- Serial No. 379,998. (No'modeL) Toall whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, JAMES C. HYDE and ALPHONSO M. HYDE, of West Haven,in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented a newImprovement in Buckles; and we do hereby declare the following, whentaken in connection with accompanying drawings and the letters ofreference marked thereon, to be a full, clear, and exact description ofthe same, and which said drawings constitute part of this specification,and represent, in-- Figure 1, a front view of the preferred form ofbuckle; Fig. 2, avertical central transverse section of the buckle,showing the clamp as turned forward for the introduction of the strap;Fig. 3, the same section representing the strap as introduced and theclamp thrown into position to engage the strap; Figs. 4 and 5,modifications.

This invention relates to an improvement in that class of buckles inwhich the frame is I. in the form of a parallelogram, combined with aclamping-lever hung to the frame and so as to. grasp the strap.

The object of the invention is to construct the buckle from wire andproduce an inter locking of the clamp with the frame, so as to preventthe accidental change of position of the buckle upon the strap, as wellas to make a cheap, strong, and durable buckle; and the inventionconsists in the construction as hereinafter described, and particularlyrecited in the claims.

The best form of buckle is that represented in Fig. 1, and in which theframe is composed of an upper side A, alower side B, connected by theends C C, the lower side 13 being bent downward and returned to form adepending hook D, to which the suspender-ends may be attached. Thisframe is made in a single piece, the ends meeting on the upper side andthat side inclosed by a sleeve, as usual,

to unite the ends of the wire and. strengthen the side. The upper side Ais bent forward out of the plane of the ends a little more than thediameter of the side A, and, as clearly seen in Fig. 2, the lower side Bis also bent forward into substantially the same plane as the upper sideand so that the ends are recessed, as it were, from the plane of thefront of the frame. The clamp is also made from the upper side A andlower side B of the frame. The length of the clamp is substantially thelength of the frame and so that the clamp may stand in the space betweenthe upper and lower sides of the frame, the recessed or backward-bentsides permitting the clamp to thus lie in the frame, as seen in Fig. 3.The lower side F of the clamp is hinged to the lower side B of theframe, preferably by metal clips H H, closed around the lower sides ofthe two parts, as seen in Figs. 1 and 2, so that the clamp may swingfreely on the frame. Preferably the lower side Fof the frame is bent toform a depending finger I, which may swing backward and forward througha recess .1, formed in the'depending portion of the lower side B, and sothat when the clamp is turned forward, as seen in Fig. 2, the hook willbe open; but when the clamp is returned, as seen in Fig. 3, the finger Iwill come into a position to close the opening to the hook and so as toprevent the escape of the ring or loop of the suspender-ends, which mayhave been passed onto the hook when in the open position, as seen inFig. 2. The clamp is made from a single piece of wire, the ends meetingin the upper side E, that side being inclosed by a sleeve or tube, so asto unite the ends of the wire and strengthen that side. This completesthe buckle.

To apply the suspender or strap to the buckle the clamp is thrownforward, as seen in Fig. 2, and the strap introduced from the rear belowthe side A, thence out forward and over the upper side E of the clamp.Then the clamp is pressed back into the recess of the.

frame below the upper side A, as seen in Fig. 3, the side E being sonear the side A as to compress and firmly grasp the strap, as seen inFig. 3. Then the end of the strap is preferably passed backward throughthe open clamp and frame, as also seen in Fig. 3. The strain upon thestrap tends to draw the clamp more firmly into its engaging position.The recess of the frame is such as to permit the clamp to pass slightlyto the rear of the upper side of the frame when in the closed position,and as seen in Fig. 3. This arrangement causes the clamp to interlockwith the frame, because there is a slight let up upon the forcebetweenthe frame and clamp as the clamp passes rearward beyond the plane of theupper side 5 A of the frame, and accidental displacement of thebuckle onthe strap is not liable to occur. This interlocking of the clamp alsoholds the finger I in the position of closing the hook D, as seen inFig. 3, so as to prevent the escape of the ring or loop of thesuspender-end. The finger also serves as a convenient means for turningthe clamp when read justment is desirable, it only being necessary topress backward upon the tongue to throw the clamp forward.

The finger I may be omitted and the lower side F of the clamp madestraight, as seen in Fig. 4c, and the lower sideB of the frame may beformed with a depending loop instead of the hook, as seen in Fig. 4; orthe frame may be constructed with a depending loop, as seen in Fig. 5,and the clamp with a corresponding depending loop, as seen in thatfigure. The shape or formation of the lower sides of the clamp or framefor the convenience of attachment of the suspender-ends is thereforeimmaterial to the construction of the buckle.

I11 using the terms forward and rearward, or analogous terms indicatingthe position of the buckle, we do not wish to he understood as limitingthe invention to the use of the buckle-in this posit-ion, as it may beapplied either side outward or front. The terms used are therefore to beunderstood as illustrative only.

WVe claim- 1. The herein-described buckle, consisting of the frame madefrom a single piece of wire composed of the upper side A, the lower side13, connected by the ends G (l, the said upper side bent forward and outof the plane of the ends of the frame, combined with a clamp made from asingle piece of wire and composed of an upper side E and lower side F,connected by the two ends G G, the lower side F hinged to the lower sideB of the frame, and the clamp of a width to swing baekwardinto the framebelow the upper side A, and whereby the said upper side A of the frameforms a clamping-bar, against which the upper side E of the clamp maygrasp the strap, substantially as described.

2. Abuckle-frame made from a single piece of wire composed of the upperside A and lower side B, connected by the two ends 0 C, the said lowerside bent to form :1. depending hook D, and with an opening J above thehook, the upper side A of the frame bent forward out of the plane of thetwo ends E and so as to form a recess on the face side of the framebelow the upper side A, combined with a clamp made from a single pieceof wire composed of an upper side E and lower side F, connected by twoends G G, thelower side F of the clamp hinged to the lower side B of theframe and the said lower side F bent to form a depending finger I,adapted to swing backward and forward in rear of the nose of thedepending hook D, and the said clamp of a width to permit the said upperside E to pass into the recessed frame and below the upper side A,substantially as described.

In testimony whereof we have signed this specification in the presenceof two subscribing witnesses.

JAMES C. HYDE. ALPHONSO M. HYDE.

Witnesses:

HARRIS G. EAMES, .TonN '1. GILL.

